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RELIGION
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2006
Life IB
Way to
freedom and
life
Romans 8:1-8
In Christ Jesus {w.1,2)
There is therefore now no con
demnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh but after the
Spirit.
God has solved what we can
not solve. God has paid a price
that we cannot and could
never pay. His Son took the
condemnation that we
deserved because of our sin.
Even though our past is shot
through with inconsistencies
and failures, even though our
present practice is imperfect,
and even though we can
count on facing Satan’s “fiery
darts” in the future, there is
now no condemnation
because we are in Christ
Jesus.
Th be in Christ, however,
involves more than just a
position or standing. To
accept Christ as Savior marks
the beginning of a process of
growth. The word walk
implies a way of living—a
commitment to growing in
the will of God. Because we
are now Christ’s we are to
take orders from the Spirit,
not from the flesh. 'The term
flesh most likely refers to the
physical body, which is the
source of sinful desires and
“fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul” (1 Peter
2:11). We are not guided by
these desires; because we are
in Christ, we are guided by
the Spirit’s desires.
For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and
death.
A new law is at work in the
Christian. This law is not
loaded with restrictions, pre
scriptions, accusations, or
condemnations. It offers life,
not death—including possibil
ities, opportunities, freedom
from sin and death, and help
through God’s spirit.
Not in law and flesh (vv.3-8)
For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sin
ful flesh, and for sin, con
demned sin in the flesh.
The law called people to obe
dience. It pointed out failures,
but it provided no forgiveness
for those failures and no
power to do better. The law
itself was good; in fact, Paul
calls it “holy” in Romans 7:12.
But it was weak through the
flesh. Humanity has not been
able to keep the standards set
forth in the law. And the flesh
always pulls us in the oppo
site direction for that estab
lished by God’s law.
God addressed the law’s fail
ure by sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh.
“The Word was made flesh”
(John 1:14) but came only in
the likeness of sinful flesh.
Jesus had a human body, but
Jesus controlled that body
and did not allow the flesh to
Please see WAY TO/6B
PHOTCVASSOCIATED PRESS
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, left, and Interior Secretary Gale Norton hand Sixteenth Baptist Church Pas
tor Arthur Price a declaration dedicating the church as a national landmark Monday.
Alabama church bombed in
1963 gets landmark designation
Birmingham building where four girls killed in attack
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIRMINGHAM—Relatives of the
four black girls who were killed in a
Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1963
gathered at the church where they
died to mark its designation as a
national landmark.
Attorney General Alberto Gonza
les on Monday called the Sixteenth
Street Baptist Church “a catalyst for
the cause of justice” as he referred to
the girls—Addie Mae Collins, Carole
Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all
14, and Denise McNair, 11.
“We protect this place for them,”
Gonzales said, speaking at the
church’s pulpit.
Gonzales likened the deadly bomb
ing of the old brick building to a
series of arsons that have hit 10
Alabama churches since Feb. 3.
Investigators have said they don’t
know a motive in the arsons, but
there is no racial pattern. Five of the
churches had white congregations
and five black. All were Baptist, the
dominant faith in the region, and
mostly in isolated country settings.
But Gonzales said the fires are a
reminder “there is still work to be
done” in ensuring equal justice and
fighting discrimination.
At the ceremony Interior Secre
tary Gale A. Norton signed a procla
mation adding the church to a list of
about 2,500 places that carry the
title of National Historic Landmark.
Church members gave Gonzales a
lengthy ovation, and the pastor, the
Rev. Arthur Price Jr., called the his
toric landmark designation “major
for us.”
Price said a previous attempt to
have the 200-member churcb desig
nated a federal landmark failed,
although he was unsure of details.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
was an important meeting place for
activists during the civil rights era,
and the bombing became a world
wide .symbol illustrating the depth of
racial hatred in the South at the
time. Three Klansman were convict
ed in the blast, the last in 2002.
The bomb knocked out part of a
wall and heavily damaged the bath
room where the girls died.
Greensboro church celebrates 200 years
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GREENSBORO - Let’s
not quibble over a mis
spelling. This is a church,
not an English class.
Rehobeth United
Methodist Church started
as Rehoboth Methodist.
That’s the way the Bible
uses the word, meaning
broad places.
Fannie Blackwood, the
church’s historian, says she
and previous historians
have been at a loss to deter
mine why the second “o”
became an “e” before 1900.
But what really matters
to the 810 Rehobeth mem
bers is that the church on
Rehobeth Church Road has
survived. It celebrated its
200th anniversary Sunday.
Blackwood and other
women dressed in 1800s
garb for the worship ser
vice.
“Everything around here
is pretty old, including
myself,” Blackwood said,
“I’ll be 88 on March 17.”
Rehobeth remains at its
original southern Guilford
site, which in the early
1800s lacked wagon roads
leading to the church.
When the collection plate
was passed for the first
time, it yielded 8 cents.
The church can claim
almost a direct link to the
Methodist denomination’s
second most important per
son, Francis Asbury.
Methodist founder John
Wesley sent Asbury from
England to America in
Please see 200/6B
Supreme Court sides with tea drinkers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON—The Supreme
Court ruled unanimously Hiesday
that a small congregation in New
Mexico may use hallucinogenic tea as
part of a four-hour ritual intended to
connect with God. ^
Justices, in their first religious free
dom decision under Chief Justice
John Roberts, moved decisively to
keep the government out of a church’s
religious practice. Federal drug
agents should have been barred from
confiscating the hoasca tea of the
Brazil-based church, Roberts wrote in
the decision.
The tea, which contains an illegal
drug known as DMT, is considered
sacred to members of O Centro
Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vege
tal, which has a blend of Christian
PHOTaHAPPYHEFBAUSH.COM
beliefs and South American tradi
tions. Members believe they can
understand God only by drinking the
tea, which is consumed twice a month
at four-hour ceremonies.
New Justice Samuel Alito did not
take part in the case, which was
argued last fall before Justice Sandra
Day O’Connor before her retirement,
Alito was on the bench for the first
time TViesday.
Roberts said the Bush administra
tion had not met its burden under a
federal religious freedom law to show
that it could ban “the sect’s sincere
religious practice.”
The chief justice had also been
skeptical of the government’s position
in the case last fall, suggesting the
administration was demanding too
Please see TEA DRUG/6B
Perry
stands
out in
debut
Ix>ri Perry
I Found It In You
Lori Perry, Craig King
and Luis Bryant, produc
ers
Alliant Music
Remember the Perry Sis
ters? They had a couple of LPs
in the 1980s and spent most of
the ‘90s backing up Anita
Baker in the studio and on
tour.
Youngest sister Lori has
branched out into gospel music
and done so quite nicely, “I
Found It In You” is alx)ut as
fresh a gospel CD you’ll hear
this year.
Perry’s approach is about the
same as the pop-jazz stuff she
did with Baker and her sisters.
It’s light and airy, with a touch
of Baker in the vocals. She
brought along a lot of the crew
she worked with in her secular
days. Heavyweights such as
George Duke, Jeff Majors and
Alex Acuna contribute musi
cally.
But Perry’s vocals are the
real gears driving this CD, She
handles lead and background,
recreating tbe round she and
her three sisters used. It’s
amazing harmony that took a
lot of effort.
Perry put a lot of effort into
writing and co-writing most of
these songs. Some are simply
inspirational, some are all-out
gospel, yet all of them could fit
comfortably on urban radio
playlists. “Majesty Reigns”
rounds like vintage Baker, but
Perry’s voice is a bit deeper
and maybe a bit easier to
understand. Her take on the
23rd Psalm - “Psalm 23” - is
nearly spectacular.
Perry turns her attention to
current events with “Nine
Eleven.” She doesn’t get politi
cal, hut she does ask what, if
anything was learned from the
tragedy.
Perry’s first gospel venture is
a good one. She should have a
long career.
Church News
The deadline for calendar items is noon on Fridays.
Fax your announcements to (704) 342-2160 or e-mail
cherishodges@thecbarlottepostjCom.
Ongoing
Grace Bible College will host winter classes
at Grace Baptist Church, 1185 Little Rock
Road in Newton through March 13th.
Classes can be taken for credit.
For more information call (828) 464-7055.
Millions More Movement-Charlotte Inc. will
move to its new location at Little Rock AME
Zion Church, 401 N. McDowell St. 'The group
will meet the second and fourth Monday
ni^ts of the month for six months.
For more information, call (704) 333-1690.
Church of the Holy Spirit Fellowship of Win
ston-Salem and Carolinas Black Pride Move
ment headquartered in Charlotte have created
the '
Pride Gospel Mass Choir, the Carolina’s 1st
ever gay-affirmingfall-afiirming gospel mass
choir.
PGMC was "envisioned by Pastor Roger
Hayes of Church of the Holy Spirit Fellowship,
The vision involved creating an outlet for gay,
lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and gay-friend
ly individuals to worship, inspire and uplift
through song and praise arts.
PGMC is seeking sopranos, altos, tenors,
baritones, basses, musicians of all instru
ments, songwriters, poets, praise dancers and
mime performers.
Call Hayes at (336)575-6205 or chsnclsearth-
link.net
www.churchoftheholyspiritfellowshipnc.com
March 10
The Black Church Initiative of the Religious
Coalition for Reproductive Choice North Car
olina celebrates Black Cburch Week of Prayer
for HIV/AIDS,
The event will be held at New St, John Bap
tist Church, 2000 St. John Road and begins at
7 p.m. For more information call (704) 598-
9913.
March 11
o r:
Please see CHINA GROVE/6B